On Monday, July 23, 2017, the US Equestrian Federation (USEF) Board of Directors approved the recommendation to allocate the designation of an additional United States eventing CCI4* competition in 2019 to Fair Hill International. In January 2017, the Board of Directors narrowed the list of five applicants to two and following that decision spent several months researching, meeting with Organizing Committees and conducting additional site visits.
The USEF CCI4* Task Force worked tirelessly toward making a decision between two very strong applicants, Fair Hill International (Elkton, Md.) and Great Meadow International (The Plains, Va.), which are important fixtures on the eventing calendar in the U.S. The Task Force applauds both Organizing Committees for their cooperation and commitment throughout this process. The recommendation for Fair Hill International will be put forward to the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) for consideration this autumn. The date will be approved as part of the 2019 FEI calendar after review by the USEF Calendar Approval process.
The plans for the Fair Hill redevelopment are extensive, and this event will be the premiere feature at a brand new venue. A state-of-the-art multi-use venue is under development in Elkton, Md., featuring eventing, racing and steeplechase racing. This is a unilateral effort between the Fair Hill Foundation, Maryland Horse Industry Board, Maryland Sports Commission and the Cecil County Government.
Additional information regarding the new development plans for Fair Hill International are available at www.fairhill4star.com.
Are you following along with the action from home this weekend? Or maybe you're competing at an event and need information fast. Either way, we’ve got you covered! Check out the USEA’s Weekend Quick Links for links to information including the prize list, ride times, live scores, and more for all the events running this weekend.
When super groom Max Corcoran mentioned in 2005 that it would be fun to participate in a USEA Classic Series event, her employer and eventing legend Karen O’Connor took that to heart. “I did a lot of grooming for the classic format when Kentucky and all those other competitions were proper long format,” Corcoran shared. “When Gretchen [Butts] started offering the Classic Series at Waredaca [Gaithersburg, Maryland,] she asked if I would come up and do some lectures to help people understand what the 10-minute box was and how to pack for it. I did that a few times and said to Karen, ‘Man, it would be so fun to do one of these.’ And so Karen's like, 'You want to do one? Yeah, you're gonna do one next year.'”
Has this horse quality? The answer is definitely yes. This first impression is so important. As a selector for the Goresbridge Go for Gold Event horse sale, I have an abbreviation ‘GPO’ which stands for "Good Pull Out." It means that the first look prompts the potential client the need to bring the horse out of his box for a further look.
It was a beautiful but chilly weekend in the pines at the Setters' Run Farm Carolina International. After a record-setting 19.4 in the CCI4*-S dressage, Will Coleman became the first three-time winner in the event's history when he led from start to finish on Hyperion Stud's Chin Tonic HS.